Chapter 14: Reason My Heart Beats

The sounds haven't gone away. Everything is amplified, echoing tenfold in my head. It's starting to be uncomfortable.

I lay on the cool grass, panting heavily. Itachi stands next to me, leaning over, grabbing his knees. His breathing as uneven as my own. We completed the obstacle course.

"I've had people try to kill me before, and this was harder." Itachi eyes me, trying to figure out if I am joking or not. "No, I am not joking." His eyes widen, shock filling his face.

Slowly, our breathing returns to normal. Strength returns to my limbs, and I feel ready to move again. Other applicants are filing into the grass field, exhausted. Many assuming prostrate positions on the cool grass, others line up at a water fountain. The heavy footfalls of an adult on the platform draw my attention. I look up, and see Uchiha Fugaku and my brother on the edge above us, they are chatting. Minato suggests that they, meaning Itachi and myself, train together.

The Uchiha politely refuses, saying that right now, Itachi was learning his clan's secret techniques. He also said that perhaps in the future it could be arranged.

By the time the last contestant is crossing the finish line, I've successful taught Itachi to do a cartwheel.

The proctor steps up next to a podium. "You have all done well on the obstacle course. However, not all of you showed the traits we look for in our Shinobi or Kunoichi."

Upset murmurs roll through the crowd. Did I do ok? I know I fell on the climbing wall, but I did catch myself…

"We are going to split into two groups."


Uchiha Shisui


I watch the proceedings. They group is divided in two, twenty-four in the passing group, and twenty-three is the failing.

I felt pride as one of my clansman is called into the passing group. I note that the blonde girl is among the group. She seems quite resilient. Not only that, she seems to be looking at all of us hidden shinobi. We are here to protect the Hokage, as well as stop anyone from falling to their death. I had been about to spring into action when she had caught herself on the climbing wall.

Quite impressive for someone her age.

Then she stopped Itachi from falling on the monkey bars, risking herself for his benefit, all the while calling the boy 'teme.'

"Remarkable." I whisper.

Her eyes flash towards me. I get the distinct impression she can hear me.

I shunshin to a nearby branch, about twenty feet to the right. Her brilliant blue eyes flick to my new location.

"Can you see me?"

She shakes her head.

"Can you hear me?"

She nods.

"If you want to freak the Uchiha out, say that 'Shisui' says hello."

A happy smile breaks across her previously serious face.

The two academy students are both greeted by their guardians. My cousin by my uncle, and the girl by her brother.

I laugh as Minato makes the girl apologize for calling him 'teme.'

The two groups turn to go their separate ways, and I can't help but feel disappointed that she didn't say hi for me.

"Oh! Uchiha-sans! I almost forgot! Shisui says hello.

The look on my uncle's face is priceless. If only I had a camera and wouldn't get in trouble for taking the picture.

"How do you know that name?"

"The boy in the tree over their said to say so." She points up at me, giggling at the baffled expressions on the faces of the adults near her. I face palm. There goes half the fun.

At that moment, I receive the que from my team leader that we are now off duty.

I jump from the tree, landing lightly on the ground. I walk towards my relatives.

"Ah, Shisui-san. There you are. It looks like you need to work on your stealth, a five-year-old spotted you."

"Hello Uncle, Itachi-kun. I will start working on that right away." I say politely, feeling irked but minding my manners around the clan leader and heir. "Namikaze-san. This must be your sister."

"Hello, Uchiha-san. Indeed, this is my sister, Namikaze Aimisouma."

"Hi!" The girl blurts from beside her elder brother. She still has a grin on her face. She clearly enjoyed messing with Itachi and Uncle Fugaku. "Aw, don't be too mad at him Uchiha-san. He is the only one I couldn't hear breathing."

"Really?" I think the girl is blushing, but she might still be flushed from the obstacle course. "How's it going?"

"Uh… good?" She says shyly, retreating behind Minato's leg.

"Aw. I'm not that scary, am I?"

"…No?"

"Well, you weren't shy a second ago." That seems to have aggravated her.

"I am not shy." She steps out and places her hands on her hips, scowling.

"They why were you hiding?"

She frowns, but doesn't answer.

"I'm Shisui." I extend my hand to her.

She extends her hand tentatively. "Aimisouma." She seems to be conflicted about what she says next. "But most people call me Misou?"

I remember Obito telling me about how he compared her to ramen, and how it flustered her. "Miso? Like the-"

"NOT like the ramen." She interrupted. "Oh, that is it. I am Aimisouma. Everyone can call me that. I am not ramen." She looks so agitated, I feel like bad.

"My apologies, Aimi-chan." I say. Minato is resisting the urge to laugh, while my uncle and cousin seem rather confused.

"It's fine, 'most everyone asks that." Cute, she dropped the Al- on the most. She reminds me of a lot of Obito.

"Ah, Shisui-san." I hear the Hokage speak from behind me. "I was wondering, are you available this evening?"

"Yes, sir." I reply instantly.

"Good, I would like your help with something. Minato-san, can you bring Aimisouma-chan to the arena at five for her exam?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"I will see you there."

"Why are you having an exam?" Itachi asks, more than likely wondering if he will be tested as well.

"He wants to see what I can do. I didn't get tested when I first entered because of what I did, and because I was hurt. I also suspect that my age had something to do with it, too." The bright blue eyed girls responds.

"How did you know that?" The Sandaime queries.

"I could hear you guys talking about it after I fell on the climbing wall."

"You could… hear our hushed conversation from two hundred yards away?"

"Uh, yes?" Aimisouma seems to think she is in trouble.

"A useful skill you have there." The Hokage comments off-handedly. "I hope you get the chance to refine it while at the academy."

"Thank you, sir." She nods her head politely to the village leader.

"Shisui. If I could have you come with me?"

"Yes, sir."


Namikaze Minato


My sister and I walk through a busy street. Her hand is in mine. I note how she flinches when very loud sounds occur.

"You've had a hard day. Do you want still want to go to practice with my team or would you rather go home?"

"Can I still go to practice with you?" She has a habit of responding to my questions with questions of her own.

"You can. Is that what you want to do?"

She nods. "Yeah." She mumbles.

"Ok, good. I packed our bento boxes into the scroll you gave me and I am not sure if I can get them back out again. I couldn't this morning."

She has to stop, bending over in a fit of giggles. When she composes herself, we start walking towards another training ground.

We sit cross-legged next to her. "Here, it's better that the expert does it." Her small arm pauses as she reaches for the scroll. Her eyes, the same shade as mine, stare at me.

"Sometimes… you sound just like Dad."

"I do?" How odd of me to sound like a man I never met. Perhaps it isn't a good idea, but I can't resist asking. "What was our father like?"

"Daddy was really funny. He always had a joke to tell when someone was sad. He was really smart, and always had a wise saying or quote to help when you are struggling." This reminds me a lot of what my mother used to say about him. "Although half of his sayings came from fortune cookies." I didn't know that part.

"How… did he die?" The question escapes me before I could stop it.

A single tear falls from her left eye. "Just after big sis became a genin, she was on a mission in the village. Some cows got loose, and one when out through the gate, just a dozen feet, or so. She thought it would be fine for her to dart out and get it. The gates were trapped with explosives." She takes a few deep breaths, as if to steady herself. "Ninja from Iwa were in hiding, hoping to catch a team that was arriving later. They thought she looked like you, so they grabbed her body, and ran off."

I stare in stunned silence. The heartbreak that my sister must have gone through. "Then what happened?" Part of me is afraid of the answer, part is morbidly curious.

"Dad went after them. No one was sure if my sister was dead or not. People were gathering a team to rescue or retrieve her, but he left before anyone else could get there. He was really fast. I guess, he just wasn't fast enough. They killed him."

I carefully mask the emotions swelling within me.

"Dad was brain-dead. I don't really know what that means. But Mama said that even though his body was alive, his mind wasn't." A single tear rolls down her cheek. "The doctors kept him alive for a few months on life-support, before his body stopped working."

Aimisouma sighs dejectedly before leaning against my side. I wrap a protective arm around her. We sit huddled together like this for a few minutes, then she pushes herself into a sitting position. She looks up to the sky, and smiles.

I can't stop the question that rises up in me. "What are you thinking about?"

"The sky. Dad and I used to climb up on the roof and watch the clouds. He'd explain how the world works while we stare up at the puffs of white drifting by. Today would be a perfect day for it."

"You miss him?"

"Always. But it hurts less than it used to."

"Yeah. I felt that way after my mother passed away."

"Your mom is gone, too?"

"Yeah. She died when I was fifteen."

"I'm sorry." She says.

"There is no need to apologize, it isn't your fault." I ruffle her hair, and she giggles. She pushes away my hand and struggles to flatten her now crazy hair. "I had a lot of precious people that helped me get through the loss. Surrounding yourself with people who care is very important. It gave me a reason to not get caught up in the pain."

"Our Dad used to say that 'everyone needs a reason for their heart to beat.'"

"He sounds quite wise." I say, raising a bottle of water to my lips.

"Yeah, but he got that saying from an advertisement covered in women wearing very little clothing." I choke on the water. Wow father, smooth. Aimisouma gently pats me on the back.

I cough, trying to conceal a laugh, then return to eating lunch.

"What is the exam going to be like?"

"I don't know. Usually, whenever someone defects, they spar against a jonin. But since you are far younger than most who come here, I don't know what Hokage-sama is planning.

"Oh, okay... Well, whatever it is, I'll do my best!"

Is there anything that actually upsets this child? No, probably not after what she has been through. I won't let that happen again. I will protect you. You won't have to feel that pain anymore. I promise. No one. I mean no one, will hurt her. Not even boys. Oh dear. BOYS. She's going to date at some point. EH!

I force myself to push the thoughts of my sisters potential future love life from my thoughts, and turn to greet my students.